As expected, the boys plus Sophia signed the contract with Jive Records in a unanimous agreement. Kevin, their new manager, couldn't be more gleeful. Dylan was beside Sophia, squeezing her hand in encouragement and throwing her a grin every now and then.
As soon as the tour of the studio was finished, the group was quickly ushered to work. First, they recorded Zach on the drums, followed by Dylan on the lead guitar, Hunter playing rhythm and Luke plucking the bass. After the melodies were harmonized, it was Sophia's turn. Her heart thundered against her ribcage as she stepped inside the recording booth. As she fiddled with the cords of her headphone, Sophia glanced over the thick glass to see both Hunter and Dylan smiling approvingly at her.
"Okay, Sophia, you're ready to go," spoke Kevin through the intercom. Once the newly harmonized melody reached her ears, Sophia closed her eyes and began singing the lyrics she had written previously. The band grinned proudly, including Kevin. This is going to be a hit!
And what a hit it was! The Avenue's first single, Choking On Air, hit top charts across the country, even in Asia!
"Oh my god, we did it!" screamed Sophia once their song was aired on the radio. She was smothered by four boys in Dylan's small garage and cherished every minute of it. Laughing, Dylan wrapped his arms around her tightly, successfully lifting Sophia off her feet.
"My god, this is amazing!" he whispered fiercely, "I can't believe this is actually happening!"
Sophia pulled away and shot him a mock glare. "Why not? We have worked our butts off to get here." She smiled and raised her voice an octave, "You, out of all people, should know how awesome The Avenue is."
The boys whooped and stomach-bumped each other. Hunter pulled the redhead aside before enveloping her in a gentler embrace. "You are amazing," he complimented with pride. Sophia blushed the same shade as her hair before retorting. "Me? Without you guys, I'm nothing."
"Yup, my talents are pretty astonishing. All the chicks dig me," he smirked teasingly, puffing out his chest in exaggeration. Sophia giggled, punching his gut in the process.
Dylan watched their interaction with slanted eyes. Ever since prom night, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something is changing between Sophia and him. Dylan had broken up with Tabitha a few days ago, stating to her that he was just simply too busy to maintain a relationship. He ended up with a stinging cheek and a ringing ear. Somehow, he felt he deserved that slap because he had lied. He had lied to Tabitha about the reason of the break up.
"Dude!"
Dylan was instantly jolted back to the present when his soda sloshed out of the can after Luke landed a hard thump on his back. He glared at the blonde guy.
"A simple 'Dylan' is deeply appreciated, thanks," he grumbled, rubbing at the wet spot on his shirt. Luke simply guffawed and hit his back again. "Normally I would torture you with your whole PMS ordeal but I'm just too happy to care," he said lightly.
"Gee, thanks," Dylan muttered sarcastically. The five teenagers continued to celebrate in the cramped garage until they fell asleep together on the pull out couch. Well, everyone except for Dylan and Sophia. The duo was sprawled on Dylan's backyard, gazing up at the midnight stars.
"We're so lucky, aren't we?" Sophia broke the comfortable silence. Dylan turned his head to the right, gazing at her. "What do you mean?" he replied.
"I mean, we have an album, our first single blew the roof off the charts and we're about to go on tour in a few months," she answered, her eyes glued to the sky, "It's hard to believe a couple of months back we were just five scrawny teenagers trying to reach for the stars."
Dylan leaned up on his elbows and peered down at Sophia's twinkling eyes. "Didn't you just say that we had worked our asses off?" he raised his eyebrows amusingly. Sophia sighed loudly before intertwining her fingers together on top of her stomach.
"I know, it's just--" she started, "there are more talented artists out there struggling to get recognition."
Dylan softly smiled down at her, provoking one on Sophia's own lips. "Hey, like you said, we earned this."
Their gazes continued to linger on each other. Dylan observed deep into Sophia's green orbs that seemed to sparkle beneath the moonlight. Her cheeks were stained pink from the cold.
Something inside of Dylan stirred. Before he could stop himself, Dylan found himself leaning closer and closer towards her until their lips were touching. Sophia gasped in surprise and tried to pull away but she couldn't find the strength to do so.
Dylan saw fireworks beneath his eyelids. Kissing Sophia was nothing like the wet sloppy ones he received from Tabitha. Their lips weren't moving; just staying stationary to savor every moment, every taste. Dylan decided right there and then that this was a thing he would like to do every minute of his life.
Dylan was immediately startled back to reality by the sound of cats fighting. He pulled back to stare at Sophia with wide eyes and mouth agape. Sophia, once comprehension dawned upon her, quickly sat up and mirrored Dylan's expression.
"Sophia, I--I," he started but Sophia's action cut him off. She sprang to her feet and without a glance at him, ran out of the backyard.
"I have to go!" she breathed quickly.
Dylan was left alone staring at the direction she headed. "What did I just do?" he whispered remorsefully to himself.
"Exactly. What the hell did you just do?"
Labels: It's Just You and Me Honey